folly of one — open, 100th post milestone

[jacob w.c.]

the subtle grace of gravity

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code by spacexual

Power was a difficult subject for Jacob. Generally speaking, Jacob didn't want it. When he had it, he often refused to take it, like in the case of his particular skill set in the city, or in the case of Snowbound. Sometimes Jacob thought maybe he was afraid of it. He'd seen it abused so many times over his life, one wouldn't be able to fault him for that. His entire childhood was made of men and boys who fought each other ruthlessly for power that was never really their's to begin with. They got it by taking it from other people who had done the same exact thing before them or they made horrible deals that cost them their life or worse. No one could blame Jacob Wickliff Corleone for having a fear of power. But Jacob knew that wasn't it. He was terrified of a lot of things, like spiders and fire and being alone in the dark for too long, but he wasn't afraid of power. He was afraid of what people would do with it when they had too much for too long. Power in itself wasn't a bad thing, necessarily. In fact, with the right person, it could be a very good thing. But Jacob had seen it too many times that it often fell into the wrong hands. He didn't want to be in charge of that. He didn't trust himself with it, ont after what he'd seen his family do with it.

Not only that, but Jacob didn't like the idea of having an advantage over other people or being any better than they were, or thought of like he was better than them or had more power than they did. It just wasn't him. He was the sort of person that helped people as much as he could but mostly did it in the background. He didn't like getting in front of everyone and telling them what he'd do and why he'd do it, he liked to just do it. He liked to arrive when people were sick and hurting and leave with them better, or at the very least knowing he'd done everything possible to ease their suffering. His work was never about himself. It was about making his Ma proud, making sure the people he loved were safe, and helping his community in anyway he could. He'd didn't want the power that his Pa or his Babbo had. He didn't want the power that some people had through powers or influential connections. He just wanted to help people while being himself and being happy with whatever family he formed. His interests were simple. Jacob didn't have ulterior motives or anything other than his own happiness and the happiness of those around him. Unfortunately, he usually didn't even get that.

Today was different, though. He had some ideas about a date he wanted to try with Pinch. He had a whole menu prepared and he had a bunch of romantic comedies set out. He wasn't really sure if Deniz would like them, given they weren't exactly his taste, but that was all Jacob had and he wanted to watch a movie with him. He wasn't actually sure if Pincher had seen a movie, given his upbringing, so Jacob was pretty excited about it. He'd picked out all the best ones, even including Hallmark Christmas movies. He was pretty sure he'd try to save those until it was actually winter, though. It was always better that way. He wasn't sure exactly which ones he'd watch with him but he'd already decided that they'd watch 13 Going On 30 together. It was one of his favorites, after all.

Jacob was pulled from his thoughts of a romantic evening when he happened to notice Papercutter, though. He couldn't say he knew the man very well, although they had met now and again back when he'd lived in Snowbound. "Hi! Papercutter, right? We met before, when I visited from Snowbound. I don' think we've really seen each other since I joined, though. 'S nice ta' see ya'," he greeted happily, pausing a moment as he looked at the other man. He hesitated for a moment. Asking if someone was okay was usually a terrible way to get any sort of response from them but he felt like he should. What else was he supposed to do? He looked distressed, to some degree, and Jacob almost felt as though it were his responsibility to ask why. If he didn't tell him the truth, that wasn't his problem. It was the thought that counted, right? "Um, so, are you feelin' alright? Ya' jus' look a li'l shaken up, I guess," he asked, already regretting it. He barely knew Paper. If something was going on, he probably wouldn't seek comfort in Jacob. Still, he told himself, it was the thought that counted.

the heavy weight of stone